Better than Pot Brownies, by a James Beard Award-Winning Chef

When the news broke that the decorated pastry chef and cookbook author Mindy Segal had partnered with Illinois’s largest medicinal marijuana grower, eyebrows were raised — and not because the outspoken Chicago iconoclast would be out of place making pot pastries. Rather, the thought of being able to purchase edibles crafted by a James Beard Award-winning chef — Segal would be the pioneer — seemed more like a stoner’s dream come true than a legitimate business venture.

And yet just a few months later, Segal’s first batch — aptly called Mindy’s First Batch — will be available in Illinois medical marijuana dispensaries starting the first week of April, with national markets to follow later this spring. Any medical marijuana card carrier can indulge. T sat down with the Mindy’s Hot Chocolate namesake to get an exclusive first look at her limited-edition alternative to pot brownies.